Putin Hosts African Leaders as Grain Deal Collapse Threatens Food Security
- Russia blames US ‘pressure’ for absences at Africa summit
- Summit takes place after Russia quit Black Sea grain deal
Vladimir Putin at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg on July 27.
Photographer: Pavel Bednyakov/AFP/Getty Images
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President Vladimir Putin defended Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal at a summit with African leaders whose nations are feeling the impact of rising food prices stoked by his war in Ukraine.
“We understand the importance of an uninterrupted food supply to African countries” including for political stability, Putin said at the opening Thursday of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg.